TGIM #258: How You Can Tap Into Pyramid Power

PYRAMID POWER, in some contexts, refers to alleged supernatural or paranormal properties of the ancient Egyptian pyramids and objects of similar shape.

In the 1970s it was a hot topic with a number of bestsellers featuring the phrase.

With this power, model pyramids were said to preserve foods, sharpen or maintain the sharpness of razor blades, improve health, function as a thought-form incubator, and cause other dramatic effects.

It’s not clear who coined the term “pyramid power.” It’s one of many pseudoscientific theories regarding pyramids. Personally –

I think they’re bunk!

So what’s up with this TGIM?

I also think there’s –
One noteworthy exception: On December 2, 1973 (how’s that for precision)
I came across a Pyramid Power example that I guarantee you is effective beyond a doubt and — when fully understood, mastered and implemented – can change your life

On December 2, 1973 the New York Times Magazine arrived with this cover:

It’s all very stylized and of the period (a bit more about that in a minute) but, hey, man; it was the early ‘70s.

I snipped off that cover, rubber-glued it to an old shirt cardboard and kept it my top desk drawer at work until the glue ate through the newsprint and the whole thing crumbled to dust.

But now I don’t need it because the image is only a mouse click away.

Too “hip” for 2010? Maybe its Pyramid Power will be more easily recognized and incorporated into your thinking in a form like this:

Click to Enlarge

Recognize it now? The original Pyramid Of Success was developed by the greatest basketball coach of all time:

John R. Wooden. Born and raised in Indiana, Wooden began developing the foundation for the Pyramid in 1934. The Pyramid of Success was complete 14 years later, when Wooden was named head coach of the UCLA men’s basketball team.

It took another 15 years for UCLA to win its first of 10 NCAA basketball championships under Wooden. Wooden achieved unprecedented success with his program. The “superstars” he coached, and the lives he shaped, are many and many are legend.

Many people believe that John Wooden is the greatest team-sport coach of all time.

He died June 4 at age 99. The obits and the sporting press featured much of his story but, to my surprise, few featured The Pyramid.

Maybe one is reason is: The Pyramid Of Success is not about basketball. In fact the Pyramid Of Success has nothing to do with sports, wealth or power.

Huh? The Pyramid Of Success is about –

Life and leadership. Lasting personal and organizational success is enabled through personal and organizational leadership.

To understand the Pyramid of Success, you must first know Wooden’s –

Definition of Success:

“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

Wooden had a single altruistic and focused purpose: He wanted to provide his players with a roadmap for a full and productive life after basketball. He maintained that success on the basketball court would be icing on the cake.

When a new team member was recruited, that player would find in his mail box the next morning an 8 1/2 X 11 mimeographed sheet which contained a pyramid of carefully and neatly ruled boxes.

Because he believed the principles of the Pyramid should be shared freely, Wooden chose not to have the Pyramid Of Success copyrighted.

There is a John R. Wooden Course and any number of Wooden/Success books and personal improvement tools. But the furthest thing from his mind was selling books and profiting from the Pyramid.

Because overwhelming evidence exists that proves the validity and reliability of Woodens principles, the Power of his Pyramid Of Success transcends the smoke and mirrors of other mystical-minded Pyramid promoters.

His Pyramid worked well before the ‘70’s hoo-ha and continued – and will continue – to work its particular magic for decades to come.

IMHO: Success is about continuous effort to learn, continuous effort to improve, and continuous effort to make your life and the world a better place.

I’m not going to comment on or interpret the Wooden Pyramid components for you. I won’t because I can’t and I shouldn’t. Sharing it with you should be enough.

P.S. The 1973 NYT Magazine cover was designed by Randall Enos. You can read more about that, and him, and his work, and (sorry, Randall) how we can share it with you without paying him or having violated his design rights, HERE.

P.P.S. There’s nothing paranormal (that I’m aware of) going on in the Best Year Ever Program or at the new-look Empowerment Group International website. But they may help sharpen your thinking or have some other “supernatural” outcomes. Tap into these mysteries by clicking HERE.

GEOFF STECK leads Alexander Publishing & Marketing, a company he formed in 1986. The core AP&M mission: To create and publish leadership, sales mastery, self-improvement and workplace skill-building resources and tools. The focus: Areas such as business communication, staff support, customer care and frontline management. Geoff also puts his corporate and entrepreneurial experience, independent perspective, and skills as a catalyst to work for other firms (ranging from multinational corporations to more modest operations), not-for-profits, and individuals who have conceived or developed programs or initiatives but are frustrated in getting them implemented.

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3 Responses to “TGIM #258: How You Can Tap Into Pyramid Power”

[...] March Madness: The Meaning of Success SuccessBy Guest Writer: Andy Schroeder, Physical Education and Health Subject Area Coordinator and Girls Basketball Coach. March is my favorite month. We all have our favorite months: in June summer starts, August is my wife and I birthday and we usually take a vacation of some sort before the start of the school year, December is Christmas, but March, the sun starts to come out, you begin to have nicer weather, you have St. Patrick’s day, Spring break, but every March –March Madness!If you’re not familiar March Madness, March is the biggest basketball month. In high school if you are still playing in March, you’re an elite team, one of the few left to play. However, in college basketball, March is when the season gets really exciting. Every year in March every conference has a tournament. If you win your conference tournament you get to go to the big NCAA tournament. In the end, only one team in the country wins their last game. When I think about the NCAA tournament I think about one of the most successful coaches in the history of all athletics: John Wooden. Some facts about him:- Born October 14, 1910, died June 4, 2010- Enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961- UCLA men’s basketball coach from 1948-1975- He won 10 NCAA championships – next best is 4- 7 consecutive NCAA championships – next best is 2 and nobody has won 3 in a row- Won 88 consecutive games – next best in men’s basketball is 60- 4 undefeated seasons – no one has ever done that more than once.We are talking about an extremely successful man in terms of winning.We are also taking about a man who did not win his first championship until his 15th season at UCLA. John Wooden never viewed success in terms of winning and losing, this is reflected in his most famous quote about success: This attitude, this philosophy, is embodied in his Pyramid of Success:Wooden’s Pyramid of Success two cornerstones are Industriousness and Enthusiasm.Industriousness – in plain language means that you have to work, and work hard. There is no substitute of hard work. The best people whether in business, law. Plumbing or art, all share this fundamental trait, they all work very hard at their craft. Individuals like Kobe Bryan, Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, to name a few athletes, are legendary for their industriousness. Enthusiasm – simply, you must enjoy what you do. Your heart must be in it. It must be a passion. As you all grow older, if you don’t like what you do, if you find yourself whining and complaining, don’t do it, get out, because if your heart is not in your work you cannot perform at your highest level. “Nothing great can be achieved without enthusiasm”.At the center of the pyramid is Skill – you have to know what you’re doing and be able to do it well. Furthermore, you have to be able to execute all aspects of the job. In basketball you could be a great shooter, but you need to be able to get open. You could be a great coach, but you need to be able to make adjustments, and understand people. Just as a doctor. You could be technically proficient, but you also need to be able to diagnose illnesses and understand and communicate with your patient. The point is that there are a wide range of skills, and they differ from profession to profession, but you need to master them all.At the pinnacle of the pyramid is Competitive Greatness, which Wooden defines as “A real love for the hard battle, knowing it offers the opportunity to be at your best when your best is required.”Which brings us back to success. Success is not wins or loses, but peace of mind, knowing that you did your best, to become the best you were capable of becoming when your best was required. Had the football or soccer teams lost State, the season would not have been a failure; they may have been disappointed at the end outcome, but definitely not failures. And this is the genius of Woodens success, because when you are continually chasing your best, the best you are capable of becoming, only you can determine your own success and failures, because only you feel the self-satisfaction in knowing if you truly did your best.What I want you to take from this, what I hope you understand, is that although I’ve been speaking of basketball, this talk is not about basketball. It’s about what you’re passionate about, whether that be teaching, service to others, art, music, piano, medicine, your family. At the end of March Madness, sometime in early April they will play this video, with new clips. As you watch this video from 2010, I hope you will see, in people who are passionate about basketball, these qualities that Wooden speaks of: Enthusiasm, Industriousness, along with Loyalty, Alertness, Team Spirit, and Confidence. And once we understand the qualities associated with success we can then utilize them towards what we as individuals are passionate about to have a better opportunity of achieving success in our future endeavors.Images http://frankinsight.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/march-madness/http://www.johnwoodenquotes.com/http://www.coachwooden.com/index2.htmlhttp://www.empowermentgroup.com/blog/2010/06/21/tgim-258-how-you-can-tap-into-pyramid-power/ Posted by dgende at 3:25 PM Labels: leadership, success [...]

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